The present invention relates generally to mouthguards intended to be worn by athletes and other persons engaged in physical activities which might result in occlusal or craniofacial stress and more particularly to a new and improved athletic mouthguard.
Typically, athletic mouthguards serve two purposes: First, they reduce the possibility and/or severity of tooth damage by dispersing over a relatively large surface area the impact of a blow delivered to a relatively small surface area. Second, they reduce the possibility and/or severity of cranial injury, e.g. concussions, by cushioning the impact of an upwardly directed blow administered to the upper set of teeth by the lower set of teeth. As can readily be appreciated, either one or both of the above-stated objectives may be adversely affected by the use of an ill-fitting and/or uncomfortable mouthguard.
Many different types of athletic mouthguards are presently in use. One type of mouthguard, which is available generally only from a dentist, is made by having the dentist take an impression of the dental arch and upper teeth of the individual, prepare from the impression a plaster cast corresponding to the dental arch and upper teeth, and then mold a mouthguard from rubber or plastic against the plaster cast. While such mouthguards have generally good comfort, protective and retentive characteristics, they are frequently expensive and time-consuming to fabricate and require the services of skilled dental personnel.
A second type of mouthguard presently in use is a universal mouthguard, which is intended to be worn as received without any form of adaptation to the mouth of the individual user. Such mouthguards are typically made of rubber or plastic and are formed generally to the shape of the upper dental arch and teeth. While these mouthguards are less expensive to fabricate than the first type of mouthguard, they tend to fit loosely and are not retained easily by the user, frequently being dislodged by the same blows they were intended to resist.
A third type of mouthguard presently in use is a universal blank mouthguard, which is typically made of a thermoplastic material capable of being molded and shaped to conform to the dental arch and upper teeth of the individual user. In use, the blank is usually warmed, such as by immersion in hot water, inserted into the mouth of the individual, and then fitted against the dental arch and teeth of the individual. While these in-situ custom-fitted mouthguards are also typically less expensive than the first type of mouthguard, they are also typically not nearly as retentive or comfortable as such mouthguards.
The following patents, all of which are incorporated by reference, may be of interest to the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,393, which issued on Sep. 11, 1990 to Adell, relates to a mouthguard that has a body having upper and lower troughs conforming generally to the upper and lower arches. Liners of impression material are disposed in the respective troughs for conformance to the actual impressions of the teeth of the arches. The body has an occlusal wall that contains a series of spaced-apart air/saliva ducts extending in a lingual/buccal fluid communication. The liners are mechanically interlocked to the mouthguard body by interlocking material that extends along the edges of the respective troughs and also by integral connections which extend through the occlusal wall between the two troughs in bridging portions of the occlusal wall that separate the air/saliva ducts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,365, which issued on Jul. 18, 1989 to Guarlotti et al., relates to an improved protective mouthguard blank, which is adapted for in situ custom-fitting by an athlete/patient, and to a method for in situ custom-fitting said mouthguard blank. The protective mouthguard blank has a generally V-shaped channel corresponding to a normal dental arch and is formed from thermoplastic substances which have a softening, moldable temperature in the range of 120-160 degrees F. The protective mouthguard blank has outer side walls which are longer than the labial vestibule and the buccal vestibules of the athlete/patient. The resulting in situ custom-formed protective mouthguard consequently has an outer side wall which substantially entirely fills the athlete/patient's buccal vestibules and labial vestibule.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,941, which issued on Dec. 20, 1988 to Schaefer, relates to an athletic mouthguard useful in contact sports for protecting an athlete's teeth. The mouthguard comprises a U-shaped double trough mouthpiece secured to a connecting strap adapted to be attached to the faceguard on a helmet. The distal end of the connecting strap contains an oblong opening whereby a looped connection can be made with a bar on the face guard by passing the mouthpiece through the oblong opening and pulling the loop into tight engagement with the bar on the faceguard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,465, which issued on Oct. 30, 1973 to Helmer, relates to an apparatus for protecting the mouth area of athletes engaged in contact sports. The apparatus includes a thermo-plastic base member that is heated to receive a bite from the user whereby his dental impressions are applied to such base member. The base member is formed with breathing orifices. Plugs are removably disposed within the breathing orifices to prevent collapse of such orifices while the bite takes place.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,501, which issued on Nov. 19, 1968 to Greenberg, relates to a saddle for use in making a mouthpiece comprised of a substantially U-shaped member of channel cross-section including an outer flange, a lingual flange and a web joining them and made of a plastic such that at a pre-determined temperature range below that of boiling water the saddle will retain its essential shape but will be soft enough to take teeth impressions and to retain the teeth impressions below the softening range; a method by which the saddle is used to take teeth impressions in the mouth so that impressions of one set of teeth will be formed on the inside thereof and the impressions of the bite surface of the opposite set of teeth will be formed in the outside surface of the web to thus form a mouthguard which protects both sets of teeth; and the provision of means whereby a strap for attachment to a face or chin guard is removably attached to the mouthguard so that a strong pull thereon will separate the strap from the mouthguard and allow the latter to remain in place over the teeth for continued protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,809, which issued on Oct. 29, 1968 to Ross, relates to a protective mouthpiece comprising a deformable trough adapted for engagement therein of a natural denture and defined by a base and a pair of inner and outer walls extending away from said base, an elongated bendable strap having an inner end portion connected to said outer wall and an outer end portion releasably securable in adjusted position longitudinally of said strap, and fastener means slidably adjustable longitudinally of said strap to which said outer end portion is connected, said fastener means being a snap fastener having a male component secured to the outer end portion of said strap and a belt arranged and proportioned for yielding frictional engagement about said strap, said belt having a portion with an eye adapted for projection therethrough of said male component, said portion spaced from said strap to define a pocket for releasable reception of said male component when projected through said eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,272, which issued on May 10, 1966 to Greenberg, relates to a saddle for use in making a mouthpiece comprising a substantially U-shaped member of channel cross-section made of a thermoplastic resin which is fixed in form and resilient up to the temperature range of 185-230 degrees F. but sufficiently soft to take tooth impressions under pressure below said range down to about 130 degrees F. without losing its essential shape and fix them below said temperature, said resin being selected from the class consisting of vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer having 20-35% by weight of ethyl acrylate, remainder ethylene, said member having inner and outer flanges joined by a web which tapers in thickness downwardly from said inner to said outer flange, so that impressions of one set of teeth may be made on the inside of said channel and impression of the bite surface of the opposite set of teeth may be made in the outer surface of the web without sacrificing thickness of the web as required for proper protection.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,192,558, which issued on Mar. 5, 1940 to Poindexter, relates to a tooth guard and jaw protector comprising a substantially U-shaped body member adapted to fit in the mouth between the teeth of the upper and the lower jaws and having the end portions thereof of substantially rigid material and of substantially H-shaped form in cross section and thus presenting spaced flanges on the upper and the lower sides adapted to engage against the inner and the outer faces of the upper rear and lower rear teeth thereby interlocking the teeth and restraining relative lateral movement of the jaws, said substantially U-shaped body member being adapted to fit and be held within the mouth with the looped portion presented forwardly and being provided on the outer side of the looped portion with flanges of cushion material adapted to cushion between the lips and the front teeth of the wearer.